Juan Sepulveda is a painter and the creator of The Winding Stairs Podcast and The Gentleman’s Brotherhood. His art focuses around the lessons and symbols of free masonry. In this episode, Juan talks about marketing and creating art, why you must have the right mindset, and why you need to diversify your income streams.

Here are three things you can learn from Juan:

Marketing and Creating Art Require Different Ways of Thinking

Artists are often opposed to the idea of marketing their work. People often criticized Juan for selling his art because they couldn’t sell theirs too.

If you are having trouble selling your art, you need to separate your artistic creation from your business. It requires to completely separate parts of yourself to be able to sell your art. You need to be able to put on different hats depending on whether you are selling or creating your art.

You can’t let selling get in the way of your creativity. Let your creative side work its magic on the art, but then, when you are done, you have to switch hats. Juan believes you have to be authentic to your inspiration, but you also have to be wiling to sell your work once you are done creating.

Your Mindset Means Everything

Your mindset determines everything about the way you approach the world. Just look at one of the artists you admire the most. They have the same amount of time as us, and sometimes they have even fewer resources, yet they are still able to create something amazing.

Juan believes that you create your own limits. We are the ones who confine or restrict ourselves from achieving our true potential. The good news is, in order to change that, all we have to do is change our mindset.

If your favorite artist can get their painting in a museum, you can too. Learn from those who came before you, and apply those lessons to what you want to accomplish. Just know that you can do it, and you are on the way to achieving it.

Diversify Your Income Streams

If you are relying solely on selling your art to make a living, you are missing out on some great opportunities. Art sales are hardly steady, and if you rely on that income, you can get yourself into some trouble.

Diversifying your sources of income can lead to more stability with your finances and with your life. Juan does not just create art. He also does public speaking and a podcast to help promote himself and his art.

By creating other income streams, you can have a bad month selling your art and not have to worry as much. These other income streams will allow you to rest more easily without worrying about selling your next painting to survive.

important for men to learn about the proper way to behave in different circumstances

how he became a free mason

grew up with an uncle that inspired him

was respected and achieved a lot

good at speaking and showing compassion/empathy

when his grandmother died, a man sang her praises (who was a mason)

he became interested in what free masonry was and did some research on it

years later, he approached a lodge to find out more

perceptions of free masonry without really knowing about it

they aren’t apologists for what others say about them

perpetual misinformation

past five years, they have been putting out the correct information to dispel myths

speech about becoming an artist at podcast group

was at a crossroads in high school to determine what he would do for the rest of his life

aviation vs. visual arts

didn’t see the prospects for a good art career, decided he wanted to be a pilot

reached out to a respected pilot in his neighborhood

pilot was jaded, so he gave Juan objections of why he shouldn’t be a pilot

took his words seriously, and shifted gears

went back to art

education was in marketing, his artistic skills were learned outside of school

that moment is when he artistic career took off

we are always conveying messages, no matter what you are doing

you may be changing other peoples’ lives with your opinions, you have to be aware and responsible for that

from marketing to art

moved to Florida to find career as an artist

asked himself “What kind of art can I do and make a living from?”

decided on animation, so he moved to Florida and worked for Disney

wanted to be close to animators

as cast member, he could go to workshops from professional animators

once he spent enough time exploring it, he recognized that the nature of the process didn’t line up with his artistic aspirations

in-betweeners creating the fractions between movements, there was no room for creativity/expression

didn’t like the idea repeating the same thing over and over, so he looked into fine art

fine art showed was right for him because he could go from concept to execution

“Now that I have my unique creation, made, now it’s time for me to switch hats and become the business man, and see how I can then put this in the hands of people that identify with the message contained in the painting.”

things he learned at Disney workshops

lead animator for Mulan gave presentation on components of the movie

talked about roles of different people in the movie

learned about the process they use and examples of what their work looked like

“When you’re at the beginning of any career, you have no idea how things are done. You see the final product and you know that somebody has to draw something, but how does that make it into the film? And they were able to show you the steps in the different roles so that was an eye opener right there.”

looking up to someone and admiring them

not realizing what it takes to get there

spent enough time analyzing whether he could do it and enjoy himself while doing it

was able to meet artists he idolized at the gallery and saw how they did their work

from sketching, to painting, to printing

why people stick to things they don’t enjoy

responsibility to have structure of 9-5 job

more openness to being entrepreneurial

being able to do the interview in two different places and share it with people all over the world

those who do well recognize there is a business component to art

“There’s a lot more opportunities for people to do their own thing.”

“Some people might feel that obligation to do that, to follow what somebody else has established, especially in the arts, it is tricky to make a living as an artist because there has to be a business component that is injected into it… otherwise there isn’t going to be any living being made”

why artists oppose marketing

people have criticized him for selling his art

some artists view art as inspiration and something bigger than themselves

you might have to wait a while before a door opens with the right opportunity

once the painting is created, he feels it’s his responsibility to get in front of as many people as possible

if he doesn’t, he feels selfish for keeping it to himself

message should reach as many people as possible, not just those who can afford it at certain prices

if you have an easy feeling about selling, you need to change hats

don’t let selling get in the way of creativity, but you must change hats once you’re done

you have to wear many hats

“Once it’s created, if you really want to make sure that’s it’s in the hands of people who are going to be affected by it, it has to be marketed. It has to be sold.”

“When you are creating a work of art, completely eliminate from your mind any thoughts of marketing or business… create the painting because you are inspired to create it and be authentic to your inspiration. Now once you put that brush down, it’s business.”

making art because it conveys a message and helps people feel something

people who buy your art want to because it makes them feel

describes his art as “Art with a purpose”

his art starts a conversation

“I say art with a purpose because I do have a purpose. I want it to either start a conversation or motivate someone to be introspective. I really want the work to have an affect on the viewer.”

telling a story through your art

adds extra meaning

allows you to start conversations through your work

working with two sides of an artist

successful artist who sold for thousands of dollars and people working minimum wage

one of the artists working minimum wage was as good as the artists making thousands but he regarded selling art as prostitution

that belief prevented him from having financial freedom

only impediment was his way of looking at it

your perception determines reality and mindset means everything

pick one of the artists you admire the most

they have the same amount of time as us, some even have less resources

“I think that it’s important that you spend a lot of time on solidifying your strengths even more.”

“I think that it’s important for artists to recognize, do a self-assessment of, what are the things that you are strong at? What are the things that have potential for growth in your artistic career? Make sure you put a lot of energy into those things.”

it has to capture their attention because there are hundreds of other artists

if he didn’t engage with people, they would have kept on walking

people did become engaged with talking

has kept those connections after the event

human connection in art and the ability to create conversations

a lot of artists tend to be independent

you need to recognize you are not complete

you need to find those components in interactions with other people

there are people who are better than you

you need to connect with them so you can learn from them

connect with people who know the business side so you can reach the next level

took him a long time to realize that

“I need to connect with these other people who are going to complete me. They’re the puzzle pieces that are missing in this whole big picture, otherwise I’m always going to be an incomplete masterpiece.”

“I don’t always wait for things to be available. I make things available myself.”

definition of creativity

“Be able to create something exceptional where you are, with whatever limited resources you have. When you’re able to connect to that inspiration, you can take what you have and create something that can really have an impact on people.”

how to be more creative

make assessment of things that you are strong at

do things you enjoy until the wheels fall off

don’t limit yourself to your medium

derive inspiration from other stuff (Juan gets it from film)

give yourself the ability to think outside of the box

“Try to seek inspiration outside of the confines of your medium because it expands your mind so exponentially.”